Nortelhttp://www.imore.com/
enApple grows war chest, takes ownership of 1,024 Nortel patents http://www.imore.com/apple-quietly-shores-patent-portfolio
Apple has reportedly received a transfer of 1,024 patents or patent applications from Rockstar Consortium, formerly Rockstar Bidco, a group of technology companies that bid on thousands of patents that had previously held by Nortel. Apple had been part of Rockstar Bidco, which bid against Google for the patents, and had access to the patents through that consortium. The transfer of patents to Apple’s ownership, however, could better position them in ongoing litigation. Owen Thomas of Business Insider reports:
Apple already had access to these patents, since it owns a large stake in Rockstar Consortium. That venture, formerly known as Rockstar Bidco, bid $4.5 billion, of which Apple provided $2.6 billion, on a collection of 4,000 patents sold by Nortel. Microsoft, Sony, Ericsson, and RIM also backed Rockstar, which beat out Google in the bidding for the patent collection.
Even as Apple has settled with HTC and may be prepared to settle at least part of their case against Motor...Sat, 17 Nov 2012 22:20:52 +0000Joseph Keller16526 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/large/public/images/stories/2012/05/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-47.jpg" width="620" height="349" alt="Apple grows war chest, takes ownership of 1,024 Nortel patents " class="image-large aligncenter" /></p>
<p>Apple has reportedly received a transfer of 1,024 patents or patent applications from Rockstar Consortium, formerly Rockstar Bidco, a group of technology companies that bid on thousands of patents that had previously held by Nortel. Apple had been part of Rockstar Bidco, which bid against Google for the patents, and had access to the patents through that consortium. The transfer of patents to Apple’s ownership, however, could better position them in ongoing litigation. Owen Thomas of Business Insider <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-rockstar-bidco-nortel-patents-2012-11?op=1">reports</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple already had access to these patents, since it owns a large stake in Rockstar Consortium. That venture, formerly known as Rockstar Bidco, bid $4.5 billion, of which Apple provided $2.6 billion, on a collection of 4,000 patents sold by Nortel. Microsoft, Sony, Ericsson, and RIM also backed Rockstar, which beat out Google in the bidding for the patent collection.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even as Apple has <a href="http://www.imore.com/apple-and-htc-settle-patent-litigation-reach-10-year-licensing-agreement">settled with HTC</a> and may be <a href="http://www.imore.com/apple-and-motorola-may-settle-part-patent-dispute">prepared to settle</a> at least part of their case against Motorola Mobility, and won $1 billion verdict against Samsung in the U.S., a number of other, international cases, haven't gone Apple's way.</p>
<p>So, while the contents of these patents is unknown, except that they deal primarily with mobile technology, they could help solidify Apple's current and future litigation.</p>
<p>With Samsung is reportedly <a href="http://www.imore.com/samsung-and-patent-settlements-why-pay-cow-when-you-can-have-milk-free">unwilling to settle at this point</a>, having already reaped the rewards of what Apple considers their "copyist" behavior, perhaps Nortel's patents could help change their minds?</p>
<p>It’s possible that, with the acquisition of these patents, Apple will have enough leverage to get Samsung to settle at least some of the outstanding lawsuits between the companies, and the mobile world can enjoy even a little bit of rest after a long, drawn-out patent conflict.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-rockstar-bidco-nortel-patents-2012-11?op=1">Business Insider</a></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-samsung" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Samsung</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Department of Justice gives Apple the green light to acquire Nortel and Novell patentshttp://www.imore.com/apple-green-light-acquire-nortel-novell-patents
The U.S. Department of Justice recently approved Apple's acquisition of various Nortel and Novell patents. The need to clear these purchases with the DoJ was for anti-trust purposes; after all, Apple already has a huge market lead, and any patents that could put competitors out of business would result in less choice for American consumers (which I think we can all agree is a bad thing). During the investigation, Apple had committed to licensing standard essential patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, and won't be seeking injunctions involving those key patents. Though the Department of Justice has given the green light, they're still keeping a very close eye on the situation.
"In light of the importance of this industry to consumers and the complex issues raised by the intersection of the intellectual property rights and antitrust law at issue here, as well as uncertainty as to the exercise of the acquired rights, the division continues to monitor th...Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:10:46 +0000Simon Sage13242 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-97357" title="GreenLight" src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/620w620h/public/images/stories/2012/02/GreenLight.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="348" /></p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Justice recently approved Apple's acquisition of various Nortel and Novell patents. The need to clear these purchases with the DoJ was for anti-trust purposes; after all, Apple already has a huge market lead, and any patents that could put competitors out of business would result in less choice for American consumers (which I think we can all agree is a bad thing). During the investigation, Apple had committed to licensing standard essential patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, and won't be seeking injunctions involving those key patents. Though the Department of Justice has given the green light, they're still keeping a very close eye on the situation.</p>
<blockquote>"In light of the importance of this industry to consumers and the complex issues raised by the intersection of the intellectual property rights and antitrust law at issue here, as well as uncertainty as to the exercise of the acquired rights, the division continues to monitor the use of SEPs in the wireless device industry, particularly in the smartphone and computer tablet markets. The division will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP rights."</blockquote>
<p>While the DoJ also approved RIM and Microsoft's acquisitions of some of the Nortel patents, only Apple was named in regards to Novell. There was a big hubbub around Microsoft getting in on a joint bid, and Google getting uppitty because they weren't invited to the party (<a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/08/03/google-joining-microsoft-apple-nortel-bid/">even though they were</a>). Eventually, Microsoft had to open-source the patents they acquired, as the Department of Justice saw that they could potentially be used to put Linux out of commission.</p>
<p>It's also interesting to note that <a href="http://www.imore.com/2012/02/06/apple-defending-samsung-motorolas-unfair-unreasonable-discriminatory-patent-attacks/">Motorola and Samsung may be suing Apple over FRAND patents in complete unfair, unreasonable, and discriminatory ways</a> -- with the EU investigating at least Samsung over the potential abuse.</p>
<p>Nortel's patent portfolio <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/07/01/apple-part-45-billion-nortel-patent-acquisition/">may have cost upwards of $4.5 billion</a>, but it includes some very attractive technologies relating LTE, networking, voice, internet, and semiconductors. Once upon a time, Nortel was the crown jewel of the Canadian tech sector, and though it's sad to see its final remnants being chopped up like this, at least their accomplishments are going to work with the current industry leaders.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/February/12-at-210.html">Department of Justice</a>; Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/4727110626/">Howard Lake</a></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/novell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Novell</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/frand" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Frand</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/department-of-justice" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Department Of Justice</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Google said "no" to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Novell bid? [Updated]http://www.imore.com/google-joining-microsoft-apple-nortel-bid
Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to Google's open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy, basically calling shenanigans on their whole patent conspiracy act:
Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.
Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the silly way they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate Microsoft, Apple, et. al on anti-competiveness grounds.
Jon Fingas at Electronista hypothesizes that:
His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of...Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:07:53 +0000Rene Ritchie10627 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/560w560h/public/images/stories/2011/08/Screen-Shot-2011-08-03-at-10.51.48-PM.png" alt="Google said " no="" to="" joining="" microsoft="" apple="" in="" nortel="" bid="" title="Google said " width="560" height="186" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-71400" /></p>
<p>Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/08/03/google-responds-world-war-patents-hostile-organized-campaign-android/">Google's open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy</a>, basically calling shenanigans on their whole patent conspiracy act:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/07/02/google-brings-pi-apple-eats-nortel-lte-patents/">silly way</a> they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate Microsoft, Apple, et. al on anti-competiveness grounds.</p>
<p>Jon Fingas at <em>Electronista</em> hypothesizes that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of further suing Google and slowing down the adoption of Android.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So either Smith is completely out to lunch, or some people in Mountain View have some explaining to do...</p>
<p>UPDATE: Frank X. Shaw, from Microsoft Communications has posted a copy of the email to Brad Smith of Microsoft from Kent Walker, Google's General Counsel. Along with this sharply worded tweet:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog. :) <a href="http://t.co/PfKle9H">http://t.co/PfKle9H</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/08/AV96Mz4CMAIt7xd.jpg"><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/560w560h/public/images/stories/2011/08/AV96Mz4CMAIt7xd.jpg" alt="Google refuses Microsoft Nortel bid offer" title="Google refuses Microsoft Nortel bid offer" width="560" height="114" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-71406" /></a></p>
<p>[<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/BradSmi/status/98902130412355585">@BradSmi</a> via <a href="http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/08/03/microsoft.says.google.could.have.joined.patent.bid/">Electronista</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/fxshaw/status/98932077327691776/photo/1">@xfshaw</a> via <a href="http://www.windowscentral.com/now-microsoft-calling-google-out-patent-allegations">WPCentral</a>]</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/microsoft" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Microsoft</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Google</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/android" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Android</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Google responds to World War Patents, says hostile, organized campaign against Androidhttp://www.imore.com/google-responds-world-war-patents-hostile-organized-campaign-android
Google SVP and Senior Legal Officer, David Drummond has blogged about the recent trouble Google and their manufacturing partners have had over patents with the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle.
Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.
He also complained about Apple and Microsoft teaming up to out-bid Google for Novell and Nortel patents and calls for a Justice Department investigation into anti-competitive behavior while at the same time indicating Google would beef up their own patent portfolio.
He didn't seem to indicate Google would be filing to intervene in the Lodsys lawsuits against developers, which Apple has done. With Samsung delaying the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia due to litigation with Apple, and HTC paying Microsoft $5 per Android handset in licensing fees, Google does have a lot to worry about.
While Android is fa...Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:34:09 +0000Rene Ritchie10623 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/07/more_mobile_patents.jpg"><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/07/more_mobile_patents.jpg" alt="Google responds to World War Patents, says hostile, organized campaign against Android" title="Google responds to World War Patents, says hostile, organized campaign against Android" width="381" height="284" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-68019" /></a></p>
<p>Google SVP and Senior Legal Officer, David Drummond has blogged about the recent trouble Google and their manufacturing partners have had over patents with the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He also complained about Apple and Microsoft teaming up to out-bid Google for Novell and <a href="http://www.imore.com/tag/nortel">Nortel</a> patents and calls for a Justice Department investigation into anti-competitive behavior while at the same time indicating Google would beef up their own patent portfolio.</p>
<p>He didn't seem to indicate Google would be filing to intervene in the <a href="http://www.imore.com/tag/lodsys">Lodsys</a> lawsuits against developers, which Apple has done. With Samsung delaying the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia due to litigation with Apple, and HTC paying Microsoft $5 per Android handset in licensing fees, Google does have a lot to worry about.</p>
<p>While Android is fast approaching majority share of the smartphone market, Apple enjoys 66% of the profits, and as we've said before, while Apple seems content at making Android uglier, Microsoft wants to make an already less-profitable Android platform even costlier.</p>
<p>We called our most recent podcast with FOSS Patent's Florian Mueller, <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/07/09/iphone-live-160-world-war-patents/">World War Patents</a> for a reason, and it seems the battles are just beginning.</p>
<p>[<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/when-patents-attack-android.html">Google Blog</a> via <a href="http://www.androidcentral.com/googles-chief-legal-officer-calls-patent-war-hostile-organized-campaign-against-android">Android Central</a>]</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/lawsuit" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lawsuit</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/android" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Android</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/world-war-patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">World War Patents</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Apple and Google continue patent war, both bidding for InterDigital?http://www.imore.com/apple-google-bidding-war-part-2-fight
The Nortel Patent auction looks to have been just the first in a series of bidding wars between Apple and Google, as reports now indicate both companies may now be interested in InterDigital, a wireless patent firm. Apple was part of the winning $4.5 billion Nortel patent bid, and according to their 10-K filings, it appears their share of that bid was $2.6 billion.
Google may have lost that one -- we'll know for sure when the dust settles and the sale is finalized -- but if InterDigital is any indication, they've only begun to fight. Apple licensed InterDigital patents back in 2007 for a 7 year period, but given the stakes, Google might just try to secure as many wireless patents as they can to protect themselves, and the Android platform, from potential lawsuits.
Wall Street Journal, Business Insider
Apple Vs GoogleNortelWorld War PatentsInterdigitalNews...Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:06:23 +0000Allyson Kazmucha10484 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/07/more_mobile_patents.jpg" alt="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" title="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" width="381" height="284" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-68019" /></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.imore.com/2010/12/13/apple-google-battling-nortel-patents/">Nortel Patent auction</a> looks to have been just the first in a series of bidding wars between Apple and Google, as reports now indicate both companies may now be interested in InterDigital, a wireless patent firm. Apple was part of the winning <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/07/01/apple-part-45-billion-nortel-patent-acquisition/">$4.5 billion Nortel patent bid</a>, and according to their 10-K filings, it appears their share of that bid was $2.6 billion.</p>
<p>Google may have lost that one -- we'll know for sure when the dust settles and the sale is finalized -- but if InterDigital is any indication, they've only begun to fight. Apple licensed InterDigital patents back in 2007 for a 7 year period, but given the stakes, Google might just try to secure as many wireless patents as they can to protect themselves, and the Android platform, from potential lawsuits.</p>
<p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904233404576457842513189166.html">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-spent-26-billion-for-the-nortel-patents-2011-7">Business Insider</a></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/world-war-patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">World War Patents</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/interdigital" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Interdigital</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>iPhone Live 160 - World War Patentshttp://www.imore.com/iphone-live-160-world-war-patents
&lt;img src="/sites/imore.com/files/styles/400w400h/public/images/stories/2010/04/podcast_iphone_live.png" alt="iPhone Live 160 - World War Patents" title=iPhone Live 160 - World War Patents" width="400" height="400" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-26574" /&gt;
Our podcast feed
Download Directly
Subscribe via iTunes
Rene and Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents discuss Apple vs. Samsung, HTC, and Motorola, Microsoft licensing fees for Android, Nortel auction, Oracle vs. Google, and Lodsys vs. iOS developers. This is a special edition of iPhone Live!
Background
FOSS Patents blog
Editorial: How long can Google and Android afford to remain silent on patents?
iPhone Live 151 - The Lodsys Letters
Hosts
Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)
Florian Mueller (@FOSSPatents)
Credits
Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!
Our music comes from the following sources:
I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Lei...Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:16:37 +0000Rene Ritchie10341 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>&lt;img src="/sites/imore.com/files/styles/400w400h/public/images/stories/2010/04/podcast_iphone_live.png" alt="iPhone Live 160 - World War Patents" title=iPhone Live 160 - World War Patents" width="400" height="400" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-26574" /&gt;</p>
<p><script language="JavaScript" src="http://images.precentral.net/sites/precentral.net/files/mp3player/audio-player.js"></script><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://images.precentral.net/sites/precentral.net/files/mp3player/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290">
<param name="movie" value="http://images.precentral.net/sites/precentral.net/files/mp3player/player.swf" /><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=audioplayer1&amp;soundFile=http://media.libsyn.com/media/phonedifferent/iphonelive160.mp3" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object>
</p>
<p></p><ul><li><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/PhoneDifferentPodcast">Our podcast feed</a></li>
<li><a href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/phonedifferent/iphonelive160.mp3">Download Directly</a></li>
<li><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=261058960">Subscribe via iTunes</a></li>
</ul><p>Rene and Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents discuss Apple vs. Samsung, HTC, and Motorola, Microsoft licensing fees for Android, Nortel auction, Oracle vs. Google, and Lodsys vs. iOS developers. This is a special edition of iPhone Live!</p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul><li><a href="http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/">FOSS Patents blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.androidcentral.com/editorial-how-long-can-google-and-android-afford-remain-silent-patents">Editorial: How long can Google and Android afford to remain silent on patents?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/05/17/iphone-live-151-lodsys-letters/">iPhone Live 151 - The Lodsys Letters</a></li>
</ul><h3>Hosts</h3>
<p></p><li>Rene Ritchie (<a href="http://twitter.com/reneritchie">@reneritchie</a>)</li>
<li>Florian Mueller (<a href="http://twitter.com/FOSSPatents/">@FOSSPatents</a>)</li>
<!--break-->
<p></p><h3>Credits</h3>
Thanks to the <a href="http://store.imore.com?utm_campaign=community&amp;utm_source=d_im&amp;utm_medium=content">TiPb iPhone accessory store</a> for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!
<p>Our music comes from the following sources:</p>
<p></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.sneakmove.com/audio/I%20Called%20You%20-%20iphone%20remix.mp3">I Called You -- iPhone Remix</a> by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/pbl3">Pete Leidy</a></li>
via <a href="http://sneakmove.com/2007/01/winner-is.html">Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge</a></ul></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/iphone" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Iphone</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/microsoft" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Microsoft</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Google</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-htc" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Htc</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-samsung" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Samsung</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/lodsys" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lodsys</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-mototrola" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Mototrola</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/foss-patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Foss Patents</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/podcast" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Podcast</a></div></div></div>Google brings Pi, Apple beats them to Nortel LTE patent punch?http://www.imore.com/google-brings-pi-apple-eats-nortel-lte-patents
Some more information has come to light about the Nortel patent auction, which saw a consortium that included Apple win big, and Google get frozen out. According to Reuters, however, Google had some fun along the way:
"It became clear that they were bidding with the distance between the earth and the sun. One was the sum of a famous mathematical constant, and then when it got to $3 billion, they bid pi," the source said, adding the bid was $3.14159 billion.
"Either they were supremely confident or they were bored."
Brun's and Meissel-Mertens constants aside, it came down the the Apple "Rockstar" team, which included RIM, Microsoft, and others, and Google's Rangers. Google stayed in until the price rose above $4 billion. While they won't say much on the record, Google is privately furious according to TechCrunch's MG Siegler. Compared to Apple and the other mobile platforms, Google has an incredibly weak mobile patent portfolio and, if the Nortel deal goes through, this put...Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:06:30 +0000Rene Ritchie10254 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/07/more_mobile_patents.jpg" alt="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" title="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" width="381" height="284" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-68019" /></p>
<p>Some more information has come to light about the <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/07/01/apple-part-45-billion-nortel-patent-acquisition/">Nortel patent auction</a>, which saw a consortium that included Apple win big, and Google get frozen out. According to <em>Reuters</em>, however, Google had some fun along the way:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It became clear that they were bidding with the distance between the earth and the sun. One was the sum of a famous mathematical constant, and then when it got to $3 billion, they bid pi," the source said, adding the bid was $3.14159 billion.</p>
<p>"Either they were supremely confident or they were bored."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Brun's and Meissel-Mertens constants aside, it came down the the Apple "Rockstar" team, which included RIM, Microsoft, and others, and Google's Rangers. Google stayed in until the price rose above $4 billion. While they won't say much on the record, Google is privately furious according to <em>TechCrunch</em>'s MG Siegler. Compared to Apple and the other mobile platforms, Google has an incredibly weak mobile patent portfolio and, if the Nortel deal goes through, this puts them in an even more vulnerable position.</p>
<p>Robert Cringely thinks Google will try to stall the deal through litigation and anti-trust complaints, and while citing anonymous sources, says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple put up $2 billion for outright ownership of Nortel’s Long Term Evolution (4G) patents as well as another package of patents supposedly intended to hobble Android.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>FOSSpatents</em> reminded me that there's a hearing scheduled for July 11, and it's possible more solid information will become available at that time.</p>
<p>[<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/02/us-dealtalk-nortel-google-idUSTRE76104L20110702">Reuters</a>, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/01/google-nortel-patents/">TechCrunch</a>, <a href="http://www.cringely.com/2011/07/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/">Cringely</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/asymco/status/87181550210387969">@asymco</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adamjholmes585/status/87167115643191296">@FOSSpatents</a>]</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/android" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Android</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple-vs-google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple Vs Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition, Google nothttp://www.imore.com/apple-part-45-billion-nortel-patent-acquisition
According to Reuters, a consortium of tech companies, including Apple, BlackBerry maker RIM, Microsoft, EMC, Sony, and Ericsson have won the auction to acquire Nortel's mammoth $4.5 billion dollar mobile patent portfolio. How much of that will come from Apple is currently unknown, though RIM is on the line for $770 million and Ericsson, $340 million. The companies are expected to pool the patents and use them both to protect against patent lawsuits and, of course, launch lawsuits of their own.
The patents cover "wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, Internet and semiconductor technologies", with the LTE 4G patents expected to become extremely valuable as networks and devices are upgraded to that standard.
If you noticed one major mobile company conspicuous by their absence, you're not alone. Google appears not to have been part of the winning bid, which is perplexing since, as a new entrant in mobile, they have one of the weakest existing patent portfolios.
"G...Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:20:28 +0000Rene Ritchie10239 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>According to <em>Reuters</em>, a consortium of tech companies, including Apple, BlackBerry maker RIM, Microsoft, EMC, Sony, and Ericsson have won the auction to acquire Nortel's mammoth $4.5 billion dollar mobile patent portfolio. How much of that will come from Apple is currently unknown, though RIM is on the line for $770 million and Ericsson, $340 million. The companies are expected to pool the patents and use them both to protect against patent lawsuits and, of course, launch lawsuits of their own.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/images/stories/2011/07/more_mobile_patents.jpg" alt="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" title="Apple part of $4.5 billion Nortel patent acquisition" width="381" height="284" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-68019" /></p>
<p>The patents cover "wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, Internet and semiconductor technologies", with the LTE 4G patents expected to become extremely valuable as networks and devices are upgraded to that standard.</p>
<p>If you noticed one major mobile company conspicuous by their absence, you're not alone. Google appears not to have been part of the winning bid, which is perplexing since, as a new entrant in mobile, they have one of the weakest existing patent portfolios.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Google lost an unprecedented opportunity to acquire a major bargaining chip that would strengthen it at the mobile industry's intellectual property negotiating table."</p>
<p>"I'm afraid it won't get a similar opportunity in quantitative and qualitative terms any time soon."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Android manufacturers are already <a href="http://www.imore.com/2010/04/28/microsoft-android-violates-patents-htc-pays/">paying Microsoft licensing fees for Android</a>, and are being <a href="http://www.imore.com/2011/04/18/apple-sues-samsung-accuses-copying-iphone-ipad/">sued by Apple</a>. Android developers are being sued by <a href="http://www.imore.com/tag/lodsys/">Lodsys</a> and while Apple has filed to intervene in the iOS-related lawsuits, Google is still missing in action.</p>
<p>What that means going forward is hard to say, but manufacturer and developer confidence is part of the currency of any platform and it needs to be invested in and protected.</p>
<p>[<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/us-nortel-idUSTRE7600PF20110701">Reuters</a>]</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/iphone" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Iphone</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/microsoft" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Microsoft</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Google</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ipod-touch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ipod Touch</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/rim" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rim</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/sony" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Sony</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/4g" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">4g</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/lte" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lte</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ipad" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ipad</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/erricson" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Erricson</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Are Apple and Google battling for Nortel patents?http://www.imore.com/apple-google-battling-nortel-patents
According to Reuters Apple and Google might be in a battle for the once mighty Nortel Networks patent portfolio, an acquisition that could help either of the two companies gain an edge in the mobile industry.
Nortel filed bankruptcy back in January of 2009 and the vast majority of their business has been sold off with the exception of their large number of patents that could aide in the improvements of mobile communications. There is said to be over 4,000 patents with a suspected value of around $1 billion and sources are saying Apple and Google both want a piece of these patents to protect themselves from giants such as Nokia in the courtroom.
There has been one round of bidding on those patents, this has been completed, said one source, who declined to be identified because the process is private. And what Nortel has done is divide the patents up into different lots covering different kinds of technologies.
The big draw for Apple and Google mainly seems to lie with Nortel's ...Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:35:56 +0000Brian Tufo8271 at http://www.imore.com<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/400w400h/public/images/stories/2009/12/fire_everything.jpg" alt="" title="Nokia suing Apple: fire everything" width="400" height="168" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-17865" /></p>
<p>According to <em>Reuters</em> Apple and Google might be in a battle for the once mighty Nortel Networks patent portfolio, an acquisition that could help either of the two companies gain an edge in the mobile industry.</p>
<p>Nortel filed bankruptcy back in January of 2009 and the vast majority of their business has been sold off with the exception of their large number of patents that could aide in the improvements of mobile communications. There is said to be over 4,000 patents with a suspected value of around $1 billion and sources are saying Apple and Google both want a piece of these patents to protect themselves from giants such as Nokia in the courtroom.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There has been one round of bidding on those patents, this has been completed, said one source, who declined to be identified because the process is private. And what Nortel has done is divide the patents up into different lots covering different kinds of technologies.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The big draw for Apple and Google mainly seems to lie with Nortel's patents on third and fourth generation wireless technology which include the coveted LTE (Long Term Evolution). Other patents that would greatly aide in either companys future include patents for wireless handsets and infrastructure, as well as optical and data networking, Internet, Internet advertising, voice and personal computers.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is certainly a very significant stockpile of potent weaponry, and whoever lays their hands on it is going to gain significant advantage, said Alexander Poltorak, chief executive of General Patent Corp, which advises companies on intellectual property strategy and valuation but is not advising anyone involved in the Nortel patent auction.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bids for these patents are due within the next few weeks and it will be interesting to see if either one of these giants companies ends up walking away with these patents in their hands. Can either company afford to allow the other to gain all of these seemingly important patents or might they both wind up maybe splitting some of the patents? We will have to wait and see what unfolds and hopefully whoever wins these patents will make good use of them and improve devices and operating systems for all of us consumers to enjoy.</p>
<p>[ <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B84FO20101209">Reuters</a> via <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2010/12/10/apple-reportedly-bidding-to-purchase-nortel-patent-assets/">MacRumors</a> ]</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/apple" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/iphone" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Iphone</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/google" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Google</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ipod-touch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ipod Touch</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/patents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Patents</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/4g" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">4g</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/lte" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lte</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ipad" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ipad</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nortel" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Nortel</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>